What You Need to Know about Creating a Living Will

What You Need to Know about Creating a Living Will

A living will allows you to make decisions about your own healthcare, even if you are incapacitated. We look at what you need to know about creating one.

Keyword(s): a living will

No one wants to think about the idea of being incapacitated and unable to make important decisions. It's a dark thought to consider, but the reality is, it's entirely possible.

And if it does happen, a living will can resolve a ton of conflict. It allows you to let your wishes be known if you are in a coma or otherwise incapacitated.

Here's what you need to know what the importance of creating a living will and how you can get started.

What Is a Living Will?

A living will is also known as an advanced directive, is a legal document that outlines what you want to happen if you are permanently unconscious, incapacitated, or terminally ill.

If you're in a coma, do you want to be kept on life support? If so, for how long?

What are your preferences when it comes to feeding tubes, hydration, pain medication, and medical interventions?

Who Should Have One?

Many young adults don't think they need to worry about creating a living will. They're healthy and have never had any serious medical problems. But the reality is tragedy can come at any age.

People can end up in a coma from car accidents, falls, and much more. These types of accidents don't discriminate based on age.

So, who should have a living will? The answer is easy: all adults should have one. Although being incapacitated is a scary thought to consider, being proactive can protect your medical desires in these situations.

What Happens If You Don't Have a Living Will?

So, what happens if you become incapacitated and you don't have a living will?

Here are a couple of issues that can arise.

Family Could Argue

You may have heard the tragic story of Terri Schiavo. She was in a coma and being kept alive via life support.

Her husband argued that he and Terri had discussed her wishes before and she had said she wouldn't want to be kept on life support. Her parents, however, argued she would not want to be taken off life support.

Terri Schiavo did not have a living will, and this argument went on for 15 years. She was taken off life support in 2005.

This 15-year argument could have been avoided if a living will had been created.

You May Be Given Treatments That Go Against Your Beliefs

Deciding to stay on life support or not is more than a personal preference for some people. It may go against their religion and what they believe in.

If you have strong beliefs about medical intervention, it's incredibly important to have a living will.

How Do You Create the Living Will?

So now that you know it's important to create your living will, how do you do it?

You can get the living will form from an estate attorney. You'll then want to work with the attorney to outline what your wishes are if you become incapacitated. The attorney will help you make sure you cover all of your bases so your wishes are known.

Don't Leave It up to Chance

There's no doubt that creating a living will is important for all adults. You never know when tragedy might hit, and you don't want to be left without any say in medical decisions.

Are you ready to write your living will? Contact us today!